At the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in the United States, a collision occurred between a regional passenger aircraft and a U.S. military helicopter. Russian news agency TASS reported that among the passengers of the ill-fated aircraft were a Russian figure skating coach couple, who were also former world champions.
Yevgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov had won the world championship in the pairs category of figure skating in 1994. The couple had been residing in the United States since 1998, where they trained young skaters, according to the report.
The report also mentioned that their son, Maxim, is feared to have been on the same aircraft. Maxim is a member of the U.S. singles skating team. According to the U.S. Figure Skating Championship website, Maxim participated in a competition held from January 20 to 26 in Wichita, Kansas.
The news stated that the Russian couple was returning home with a group of young skaters after the competition. A list published by Russian media revealed that there were 13 skaters onboard the aircraft, most of whom were children of Russian immigrants residing in the United States.
TASS further reported that former Soviet skater Inna Volyanskaya, who had also competed for the Soviet Union, is feared to have been among the victims. According to the website of the Washington Figure Skating Club, she was a coach at the club.